A Mission We’d Like To Accomplish: Help Veterans Beat Bruxism Brought On By PTSD
From Otis, to all veterans: Thank you for your service.
At OTIS, we couldn’t be more thankful for veterans—they put fear aside to protect us from dangers most people couldn’t even imagine. But sadly, their courage comes at an extremely high price: On average, veterans are roughly twice as likely than non-veterans to experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and it’s believed that approximately 20% of all retired veterans have dealt with PTSD at some point in their lives.
We’ve previously discussed how PTSD and bruxism go hand in hand, but on this Veterans Day, we’re focusing not just on awareness, but on next steps: What can these brave individuals who’ve served do to improve their mental health, and live more peacefully?
For some instant relief, we’ll always recommend our Custom Night Guard, which protects your enamel while you sleep, so you can rest better, and attain a little peace of mind, knowing you can go to bed without the fear of grinding preventing you from even nodding off. Night guards can be purchased as prescriptions—a great way to #StopTheGrind perpetually, giving a Gift of Peace that keeps on giving.
Beyond that, we think it’s important to really confront the root causes of personal stress—whether PTSD-induced or otherwise—that lead to bruxism in the first place. This involves:
Honesty
Checking in with your emotions is vital to improving your mental health—identifying whether you’re feeling sad, angry, worried, or something else entirely, and being truthful with yourself about what specifically is on your mind. Once you’ve come to grips with what you’re feeling, you can better pinpoint why you’re feeling it, and then how to grow and move forward. We recommend taking clear, deliberate inventory of your emotions at least once per day, noting patterns when you can.
Humility
Understanding when you’ve hit an impasse is hugely important. You might have an acute ability to evaluate yourself emotionally, but that doesn’t mean you don’t still need some help in working through things that are particularly difficult. When in need, reach out—and know that Otis is always a safe space.
Relaxation
Honesty, and some empathy from others, are essential in doing the real work of parsing a reality that’s been anything but easy. But there are some physical exercises that help too—techniques designed to put your body in a restful state. Sometimes, simply coaxing your body into meditative modes can inspire your brain to follow suit.
Community
At the end of the day, becoming a healthier, happier person truly does take a village. So at Otis, we’re here to support you well beyond your mouths—maintaining a constructive dialogue on mental health, the destigmatization of mental health disorders, and on being the positive change we want to see in the world.
Again—thank you to our veterans! We’ll never forget your contribution to our lives, and we hope you never forget that we have your back.
We hope you’ll keep checking us out!